What Are the Top Trends in Swimming Pool Spas?

Why choose between a swimming pool and spa when you can have both? It’s a top trend in swimming pool design to plan a swimming pool with an accompanying spa tub to give yourself, your family and your guests the best of both worlds, the opportunity to frolic in a luxurious resort-style pool, then simply move into a relaxing and soothing spa

Here are the top trends in swimming pool spa designs to inspire your custom design:

• An attached spillover spa leading into the pool. The design of your spa features a water element cascading from the spa’s edge into the pool for that blissful cascading water sound, as well as an upscale pool setting with the most modern of spa designs.

• Free-form pool with spa attached. As an alternative to the classic rectangular swimming pool, a more rounded, curvy swimming pool layout incorporates your choice of spa shape and design, for artistic, unique visual appeal and a setting that’s pure luxury.

• Water features. Plan your swimming pool spa to be backed by a dramatic waterfall flowing down from designed rocky landscaping, or a waterwall flowing down along a vertical stone wall. The difference between the two, besides the first being more tropical in nature and the latter more modern, is the sound. A waterfall tends to be louder depending on the distance the water falls to the spa or pool surface, and a waterwall or water sheet is often quieter.

• Lighting in and around the spa. LED lights set beneath the spa water surface and ambience lighting designed around the spa create a welcoming glow in the sunset and nighttime hours. It’s become a new Must to light up your swimming pool spa, as one without specialty lighting tends to look dated and not as luxe as an illuminated pool. Plus, with new lighting effects allowing you to change the colors of your pool and spa lights, you can customize the look of your spa and pool lighting to create a vision suiting your mood or the color scheme of your backyard party.
• Use of stone. A smooth flat stone ledge around the outside edges of the pool allow for comfortable seating if guests wish not to submerge, and stone edges complete that upscale design look, elevating your pool spa’s appearance over plain edges of a solo-set spa in your yard. Stone edges and platforms create more of an intended placement appeal, and draw the eye to the beauty of your swimming pool spa design.

• Use of tile. Choose the same colors, styles and sizes of glass tile for your spa as you’ll use in your swimming pool design for a unified look tying into the top trend of glass tile magnifying the watery look, adding iridescence to your pool and spa. Glass tile brings that 5-star resort pool look into your pool environment and is a top trend in swimming pool and spa design, especially in watery shades of blue and green.

• Disappearing edge wall. Like an infinity pool’s edge where water spills over the side, your swimming pool spa can also have that luxury edging that extends the eyeline to the pool, or to the beauty of your landscaping or property views and vistas.

• Illusion spa. The illusion spa is one of the top trends in swimming pool spa designs, creating the effect of the spa appearing to lift out of the swimming pool itself. The design is integrated into the pool design for a unified look, and a unique placement of your swim pool spa.

• Oversized spas. A spa built for four may be your only option if you’re space-limited in your yard, but if you have plenty of room, opt for a larger spa seating eight, ten or more people, to give you the option of group entertaining, and allow for greater comfort for your guests who may not want to squish against others enjoying the spa as well.

• Expansive patio areas and hardscapes by your swimming pool spa. Designing the area around your swimming pool spa is another top trend, with warming fireplaces right nearby, seating areas allowing the spa-sitting and outside-sitting guests to mingle, and hardscape surfaces providing good traction as well as an upscale-designed surround to your pool and spa design.

• Energy-saving elements. Add to your swimming pool spa energy-saving pool spa heaters and energy-efficient spa pumps to provide quicker heating, promote heat retention and maintain your home’s eco-friendly features. Plus, your swimming pool design company can recommend energy-saving features that are quieter to run.

• Upgraded spa liners. Choose a vinyl liner made with an algaecide that deters the growth of fungi, bacteria and algae in your swimming pool spa, helping to keep your pool and spa more easily cleaned, maintained and safe for use.

• Soothing jets. What would a spa be without those massaging jets set at the perfect spot to work the kinks out of your back muscles? Today’s luxury swimming pool spas can be designed with custom water jet positioning, and better ability for you to control the jets’ power.

• Digital touchpad. A digital touchpad incorporated into the wall of your swimming pool spa allows you to customize the water temperature, jets, lighting, water features and other elements to put you in control of the kind of swimming pool spa experience you’d like to have.